Welcome to another episode of the Home Services Show! Today, we are talking about some common myths when it comes to home roofing and ice dams. Let’s jump into some of the common misconceptions and questions when it comes to installing and maintaining your home roof!
Dark Colored Shingles Will Result in Higher Energy Bills?
The color of your shingles has no effect on the energy efficiency of your home. If your home is air sealed properly and you have the R60 thermal barrier between your home and your attic, the color of your shingles does not matter.
However, if you have an extremely shallow pitch roof, where the roof is a lot closer to the ceiling in your home, and without proper insulation, this scenario has the possibility of heating up your home.Â
A lot of times, people think that the purpose of ventilation in your attic is so that the shingles don’t bake in the sun and that it makes your house cooler, but this is not the case. When it is hot outside, the attic of your home will also be hot, no matter if you have a great ventilation system or not. While ventilation is important, the primary purpose is to prevent mold and wood rot by getting rid of excess moisture.Â
Is it Fine to Install Shingles Over Old Ones?
Installing shingles over existing ones is actually allowed in the building codes of a lot of municipalities, however if you were wanting any warranty with your roof, this is not the best idea. Since we never know what is underneath the old shingles, if you don’t tear down to the base of the roof, you may never know what lurks beneath. With a blank canvas, it is a lot easier to assess a roof and see if there are any problems or damage with the roof before we start installing new shingles.Â
At Larson Home Services, when installing a new roof, we will also inspect your attic, since there are many problems that could be happening with your roof that cannot be seen by just inspecting the outside of the home. Even if you put the best shingles in the world on your home, if you do not have proper leak barriers, underlayments, roof-to-wall flashing, step flashing, and pipe flashing, the roof will still leak.
All Roofing Materials Are Created Equal, So Just Buy the Cheapest:
That is a myth. At Larson Home Services, we give a 50 year non-prorated warranty on our shingles, backed by GAF, the largest shingle manufacturer in the world. If our team at Larson Home Services uses the cheapest materials to build your roof, GAF will not give us that 50-year warranty, because they know that the roof will leak if it is built with cheaper materials.Â
There is a big difference between a really high quality synthetic underlayment and a 15 pound felt paper. Using cheap materials can result in more repairs and on-going maintenance, resulting in more money spent as opposed to buying quality roofing materials initially. With anything, you get what you paid for.
You Can Easily Repair a Roof the D-I-Y Way:
People certainly can repair their own roof, and it mostly depends on your level of expertise. At Larson Home Services, we often see people try and repair their own roofs, and it often results in an overuse of Black Jack roof cement. We typically see this type of roof cement around pipe boots, pipe flashings and chimneys.    Â
When restoring roofs, we often encounter homes with new shingles that are only 5-7 years old, however the roof is leaking because other things were not done right because of at-home repairs. At Larson, we recommend that if you have not worked on your roof before or if you don’t know how to put a roof on, to stick with the experts at Larson Home Services when repairing & restoring your roof.
Metal Roof is Not Any Better at Preventing an Ice Dam Compared to Asphalt:
An ice dam starts when there is snow built up on the roof, this snow melts due to natural heat loss from the roof. When the melted snow reaches the cold overhang of the roof, the snow freezes again, this cycle happens over and over, until an ice dam forms. When melted snow towards the top of the roof hits the ice dam, the water pools, and works its way into your home.
The way an ice dam starts, a steel roof is not going to be able to do anything to prevent that thaw, but a steel roof does allow more ice and snow to simply slip off the roof. Ice Breakers on your metal roof can also help prevent huge sheets of ice and snow from falling off your roof all at once.Â
In Northern Wisconsin, where they get a ton of snow coming from Lake Superior, you will often see homes with roofs that are almost entirely asphalt, and the very end will be metal. This allows the snow to slide off easier since there are no shingle granules that the snow can grab onto.
A Metal Roof Means that Your Home Will Be Warmer When the Home is Insulated Professionally:
The material of your roof does not matter when it pertains to containing heat. Proper insulation, ventilation, and air sealing are the main factors when maintaining the heat in your home. Attic insulation might actually be more important in the summer, because a 90 degree day can turn your ceiling into a radiant heater if you do not have proper insulation.
A black steel roof is going to get really hot, bringing heat into the attic. If the attic is separated properly, and properly insulated, a metal roof should not make any difference.
Ventilation is Not Important:
A common misconception when it comes to ventilation is that you need ventilation in your home so that your shingles do not bake from the inside out. Proper ventilation is in place mostly to deal with managing moisture. Even with proper ventilation, you can cut down on moisture getting into the attic through proper air sealing.
Ready to experience a hassle-free roofing project? Contact Larson Home Services in Madison, WI & Rochester, MN today for a free, no-obligation estimate and see why our customers trust us to replace and restore their roofs!
